Baseball and the Love Life of Nanako Kuroi
by N. Compass
Summary: After winning a free ticket to a baseball game, the obnoxious person she meets at the game becomes a figure in her life. Nanako/OC
1. Prologue  The Free Ticket

Good evening. This is my first time writing a fanfiction so please, go gentle on me and comment please. The story will go back and forth in styles: the normal storytelling style and a dialogue between Konata or Kagami and Nanako in the messenger/game

PROLOGUE : The Free Ticket

The afternoon sun glistened the side of Ryou High School as sounds of adolescent youth fumbled around on the school grounds. You can hear the loud cheers as the bell rung promptly and the stampede of youth marching out of the rooms. In an neutral looking office, with gray desk and chairs, a woman with long blonde hair, turned her head to look at the clock. She sighed as she continued to write her work diligently. She pushed her hair back as it was distracting her view. It was as complicated as it is. Trying to keep the interest of high school students on world history is difficult and she knew that if she wanted to enjoy her Golden Week, she needed to finish her lecture notes in preparation for her full-on gaming sessions.

"Kuroi," exclaimed a woman from across the room. Instinctively, she responded with inquisitive vigor to the woman, "Oh, yes, Sakuraba. What is it?"

Sakuraba, this short woman who would always suck a lollipop after her class, dangling just above her lips, spoke to her colleague. "Listen, umm... Nanako... right... me and the girls are going out to get a drink and stuff... so... right... wanna tag along?"

Nanako looked at her work and smiled at Sakuraba. "It's alright. I've got work to do and besides, I just need some me time."

Sakuraba shrugged and left the office, not before giving an unapologetic goodbye to her colleague. The door behind Sakuraba closes and now, Nanako was the only person in the office. The sun that shone into the office was slowly dipping into the horizon, turning a beautiful orange glow. Nanako stood from her desk and moved to the window, watching the sun set slowly over the skyline. She rested her arms on the windowsill, peering at the sky as traffic by the side of the campus buzzed by. Her face was a face of conviction.

In her mind, she wondered why was she still single at the age of twenty-eight. Did men not find her interesting? Was she repulsive that at such an age? Still lonely for now an encompassing thirty years, she wants to find a Mr. Right. She did not really care if he did not share her hobbies. Empty. Her life was an empty vessel with no love to encompass anything.

She snapped back into reality, promising that she can do better than mope around. She went back to her desk, sat down on her chair and started writing furiously. Peering back and forth between her notepad and her reference books, the world history teacher, Nanako Kuroi is back. All she could think about is her students, her career as a teacher, her level 25 mage and most of all, the upcoming baseball match between the Chiba Lotte Marines and the Hanshin Tigers.

Half past seven was the time and she was done writing. She had checked the notes thrice, trying to not leave important notes about the formation of India and Pakistan. As much as she had trouble reading the comprehensive English texts about the fevered topic, she mustered her mental strength through the toughest hurdle of all: the English language. Content and breathing a sigh of relief, she could not help but smile. She left the notes in her drawer, next to the primary texts and grabbed her matching purple blazer and large, expensive looking purse.

"Ugh," she complained to herself. "I feel very hungry..." After all, the woman had worked from seven in the morning until near eight in the evening. Besides, not having lunch becomes secondary behavior from her single life.

"Maybe I'll treat myself to a convenience store dinner," she thought to herself as she drove.

She parked her car at the nearest convenience store, a La*sons, and she grabbed her favorite food: pork cutlet curry with a side of ginger fried rice. She decided to also get a few tins of spaghetti and a few bottles of beer to go. Happily, she hopped over to the counter and paid for her "quickie grocery".

"Ma'am, we have a special draw tonight. If you manage to scratch off the word, "STRIKE" five times, you might win a ticket to the next Chiba Lotte Marines game," said the clerk at the counter as she checked out the items.

Nanako did not believe in luck. Other than her love life as a proof to her bad luck, she remembered at one time when she could not get her car to start working during the examinations day. There were times with her online accounts gotten hacked by people, causing her to cry about the lost hours and the lost cash to "firewall" her computer. Also, in her days as a college student, her dormitory's electricity would often die and during her finals week, whilst writing a long paper, the electricity in her dormitory died and along with her work. She did not believe in good luck. Never did but today, she hoped for the best.

She bought a ticket and scratched the covered areas. The first space revealed the word, "STRIKE!". The second space said the same word. Thrice. Four times. This made Nanako nervous. She knew that a fluke was waiting to happen. That fifth column was teasing her, telling her that if she rubbed it, she would strike out. Failure was imminent she thought. STRIKE.

For a minute, the world was silent. Her mind broke into many pieces. She had won something for the first time. The words of congratulation of the smallest of prizes flew through Nanako's head. She was in bliss. Two of her favorite teams, competing in the same ground, for a chance at Japanese baseball glory. Hanshin. Chiba. Tigers. Marines. The world was coming together and her world clashed in a moment that could only be described at "Nanako-ness".

Meanwhile, the clerk, looking nervously at the spaced out Nanako Kuroi, sheepishly utter the price of her food, "That will be 1500 yen, please."

*

KONAKONA: Hey Kuroi-sensei :3

NANAKON: HEY! =D

KONAKONA: Wanna go fight some monsters at Rekabyer?

NANAKON: Can't.

KONAKONA: Awww... why not.... T__T

NANAKON: I won two tickets to Sunday's Chiba Lotte Marines and Hanshin Tiger match.

KONAKONA: Going alone?

NANAKON: Haha, very funny. I can fail you for that. .

KONAKONA: Sorry sensei =(

NANAKON: I was wondering whether your cousin Yui was free.

KONAKONA: I'll give her a call.

[_3 minutes has passed_]

KONAKONA: She can't, sensei. She's busy with work for the first time ever.

NANAKON: Oh.

Then, do you want to come with me?

KONAKONA: No, ma'am. I am going to go meet up with Kagami and Tsukasa at their house.

NANAKON: Oh. Okay. :)

KONAKONA: Are you sure you will be alright, Kuroi-sensei?

NANAKON: Yeah, yeah. I will be alright. Just make sure you do your homework and I'll be glad.

KONAKONA: Right (-__-)

NANAKON: I'm serious .

KONAKONA: Can we go fight at Rekabyer, please? :3

NANAKON: Sure, let's celebrate my free tickets.


	2. Chapter One – Fight of the Underdogs

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fanfiction with the pure exception of Daikichi Akimoto. All characters such as Nanako Kuroi, Konata Izumi, Yui Narumi, etc. is owned by Kagami Yoshimizu, creator of Lucky Star, and his publishers, Kadokawa. Brazeel and Hiroyuki are real people depicted in this fanfiction and I do not own them. That would be illegal. Their likeness are not being used for profit and are copyrights of the two men and their teams (Hanshin Tigers and Chiba Lotte Marines).

Now that's out of the way, let's get down to it. It has been awhile since I have touched this fanfiction. I love Nanako as a character. She had this dynamic streak of comedy and drama in her private life. Shippers tend to put Soujirou x Nanako fanfics or they go the yuri route. I want to keep it those undertones down as much as possible and focus instead on that comedic Nanako and her entanglement in romance. I want to introduce my OC, Daikichi Akimoto. I will slowly reveal that he is not generic character in later chapters though. The first impressions are ALWAYS important.

As always, I would love reviews and always, I appreciate them. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. **Please review!** Enjoy!

* * *

The cheers from Chiba ballpark was as loud as a roaring train blazing pass the Japanese countryside. A homerun had been hit and the fans cheered for the Tigers. The Hanshin Tigers pounced onto the stadium like the plagues of yore, swarming the seats, creating a festive buzz. The sea of yellow and white dominate the ballpark seats, covering row by row, hiding any black and white striped Mariners. The park was full of Hanshin spirit, even though there was no title to be won here.

Seated in the cheap seats sat Nanako Kuroi. Around her were the fanatics of Kansai baseball team, decked from head to toe with the yellow and white paraphernalia. Luckily, the seat she was assigned gave her the complete view of the baseball stadium. Then, a fan director for Hanshin ran past her. She was shocked by his motions as he began to rile the spectators to frenzy. The man was no older than her and like any Hanshin fan, he was dressed head to toe with the Tigers jersey, the Tigers scarf and the Tigers hat. He carried a large plastic yellow megaphone, slapped with the Hanshin Tigers logo on the side. Then, he raised the megaphone to his mouth.

"_HAN!" shouted the director._

"_SHIN_!" shouted back the Hanshin fans.

They repeated this thrice.

"TIGERS!" yelled the fans and the director.

"Everyone, let us sing the song of Hanshin!" shouted the director through with greater zeal.

"_Oh no… this is annoying,"_ thought Nanako, trying to block out the immense fandom by these 'foreigners'.

_Rokkō oroshi ni sassō to  
Sōten kakeru nichirin no  
Seishun no haki uruwashiku  
Kagayaku wagana zo Hanshin Tigers  
Ō-ō-ō-ō Hanshin Tigers  
Fure-fure-fure-fure_

Behind her, she could not care that the rabid fans continued to reach into a fever pitch as the Marines were behind on a single run. All that mattered in her fragile mind was that she was cursed. Whenever she attended a Marines game, the team would ultimately lose. This was the final game of five games. She knew that her team was losing in the worst possible way. To make matters worse, this was the fifth inning. For the Marines to recover this loss, their star pitcher had to strike out Hanshin's Takashi Toritani and they failed. He hit the ball out of the park and thus, the Marines conceded an unavoidable home run to Hanshin.

Around the park, one could spot the odd Marines fans who were visibly upset and consistently shouting to the manager at the dugout. Then again, they were too far to be heard, only to be shut down by the louder voiced Tigers fans. This was a tactic that the Tigers fans often use to end discussions on baseball superiority. Although the Tigers usually lose their games, the loud atmosphere bolstered their game. The Japanese lose all sense of sincerity when it came to baseball, especially Hanshin Tigers fans. Just as the Marines conceded a home run, they let Hanshin's Brazell capture first base.

"OY, Hiroyuki! You should keep throwing those easy balls for us!" shouted a fan behind Nanako.

Nanako grew irritated by the teasing. She stared back to the Hanshin Tigers fan behind her. He was a typical Hanshin fan, yellow and white from head to toe. He seemed to be enjoying the game next to what looked like his girlfriend who seated next to him. He was a typical Japanese person who had jet-black hair and was ordinary looking, according to Nanako. She ignored him and went back to watching the game.

Once more, the Marines helped concede another base to Hanshin.

The stadium erupted itself with a gregarious roar, echoing from end to end. The sea of yellow and white looked a wave than a monstrous blob. Whistles, horns and clappers resonated from every end. The noise was unending, infinite and making many Marines fans exasperated.

Suddenly, something hit Nanako's head. It was not just once. The soft thing hit her head multiple times. She turned around to see a plastic bat held by the guy behind her. He was too excited to care and he continued to whack the plastic toy freely.

Nanako's eyes flared with anger. Her green eyes leered at the man. He was still excited and continued to hit her. As she stood up, the focus of the 'jovial' battering was no longer on her head but her chest. She draw in her breath to do something that her conscience already knew that she was going to regret. Nanako slowly crept up from her seat and walked to the man's row by standing over her seat to reach his aisle. Draped in her finest Marines jersey, she stared down at him, standing gloriously with her arms to her side.

Still hitting her, the crowd around him started to quiet down and mumble as they stared at the couple. He slowly opened his eyes as he thought the cheerful exuberance meant that another pitch began for the Marines. What he saw was not the game but a shadow and a pair of jeans. He looked up and saw the black and white Marines jersey. Scanning slowly upwards from the torso towards the chest and collarbone, he saw a blonde woman standing in front of him. He saw the face of fury as her eyes stared down and glazed at his now feeble being.

"What do you think you were doing?" yelled Nanako angrily. "Why were you hitting me with your toy bat?"

"Pfft… Hanshin's winning? I was cheering at that!" the man answered sarcastically.

Startled by the answer, she got straight to the point. "YOU HIT ME WITH YOUR BAT!"

"So? You Marines deserve it! You can't even strike us out!" shouted the man, now slowly standing up himself.

Angered and shocked by his refusal to apologize, Nanako engaged a finger pointing match with the man. She began chastising about him, his manhood, his girlfriend and his team. The man rebutted. He took off his Hashin Tigers hat and chastised her in return, pointing out flaws about herself, her womanhood, that she failed to recognize the girl sitting next to him is his sister and her team could not even perform well enough to 'stop the bullet train of Hanshin'.

The space between the front and back seat was narrow. The shouting match had both people standing and arguing louder with nearby spectators observing them in disgust and humour. Nanako was losing foot space the minute he stood up. Her posterior was facing the game and she continued to shout at the man. People did not want to call the ushers to stop the fight. They knew it was a little spat.

Suddenly, as she continued to jab her fingers into his chest, Nanako began to lose her balance. She jabbed her finger into the man's chest once more and the opposite reaction, based on Newton's Third Law came into fruition, giving her the momentum necessary to fall on her back. As she lost her balance, she was falling about to fall on her behind. She screamed. As quickly as he got up to fight her, he quickly got up to save her. The man quickly and daringly held her arms and pulled her back into his aisle.

He was now holding her arms, close to his body. They were now locked in each other's eyes. For the first time, he noticed how green her eyes were. The dark, swirling green orbs reminded him of pure emerald crystals. And she looked into his eyes that had a brown hue. It looked like an aged tree in the forest, untouched by man in the twilights of time.

Her face to him was of beauty. She thought he had a very nice looking face. She also noticed that he had a trim brown hair tucked underneath the hat. She was seeing something different in this wild Hanshin guy. They stared at each other for the longest time, as though time stood still for them.

_A clang from the bat._

_The ball flew across the sky._

_Jubilant screams heard._

* * *

The game ended with Hanshin winning by seven over Marines' four. Hanshin won the five day game series with three games. The jubilant crowd started to die down and leave the stadium in an orderly fashion. As much as baseball devolved the Japanese into becoming frenzied barbarians, they were Japanese nonetheless. The static, stable and orderly Japanese people picked up rubbish left in the stands around them. This was Hanshin at its weirdest as Kansai people rarely pick up after themselves after games or as most people perceived them to be as such. They were guests in Chiba and they wanted to maintain some dignity even as they have their ill-reputation for being rude.

Outside, Nanako was lost in wonder. In her head, the words, "I am cursed at baseball games…" pounded her soul. However, she could not get the image of the man's face out of her head. She was oddly fixated how good looking he was. His arms, to her, were warm, firm and strong. It had been awhile for Nanako to have such feelings for a man. As she walked out of the gates of the stadium, she heard a familiar voice.

"Excuse me!" said the familiar voice coming from behind her. "Please, wait up!"

Nanako waited and saw the Hanshin Tigers fan who she chastised earlier. She was not thrilled to see him and she simply responded," W-what do YOU want?"

The man now looked angelic and apologetic. He rubbed his neck in embarrassment and apologized to the blond Nanako. "I would like to sincerely apologize for my reaction earlier. We Hanshin fans can never control our reactions!"

"Oh, it's alright," replied Nanako. Blushing but with her face still crumped in an angry expression, she continued, "Are you sure the girl next to you was not your girlfriend? I did not embarrass you then?"

"She's my younger sister," laughed the man. "She's seen worse."

"Where is she anyway?" quizzed Nanako.

"She already left for the station… had to tend to her husband who's coming back from business."

"Oh!" Nanako exclaimed. She never knew that the girl was married. Her insides grumbled as that young girl is married and she has not even progressed in that direction.

"By the way, I'm Daikichi Akimoto*****," greeted the man with his hand out, waiting for her to receive his handshake.

Nanako shook his hands and said, "I'm Kuroi, Nanako Kuroi."

The handshake lasted for a while. Nanako noticed that his hands were as firm as the time he held her as she was about to fall. The grip, although light, was firm enough to convey sincerity rarely felt in these modern times.

"Hey, do you have Mixi******?" questioned Nanako.

Suddenly, her guts wrenched itself into a new knot. She was severely beating herself mentally.

"_Why did I have to ask such a weird question?"_

"Yeah!" chirped Daikichi excitedly. "Let's exchange numbers."

Nanako could not believe it. She was becoming friends with a man who accidently assaulted her. Originally, she thought this was going to be a bad day on the account of Marines losing and the fight at the stadium. It turned out to be a fantastic day for Nanako, all thanks to the fight. It opened an avenue for Nanako as she had now made a new friend.

As they waited for their phones to wait phone to accept the friendship requests, she glanced at him for a short moment. He was smiling at her when she looked up. But, as her eyes stared at him, he focused his eyes back on his phone, turning his smile into panic. Smiling, Nanako waited for the beeping sound for the confirmation.

"Confirmed," replied Nanako as she blushed. She smiled and closed her phone. She bowed to apologize to him and he did the same as he panicked. As they exchanged a few more friendly words, Nanako greeted him goodbye.

As she walked towards the train station, she felt at ease. It was peaceful. Her head was clear for the first time in years. It is as though that she had just woken up from a fitful nightmare that inexplicably placed her single status as her age advanced. Mind you, she was in her late twenties. As her parents every year pestered her to get married, she is getting closer to the number three and zero.

She was a few years away from that frightening number but for now, there is serenity in the mind of one Nanako Kuroi.

* * *

KONAKONA: Osu~

NANAKON: Hey (-v-)

KONAKONA: How was your day sensei?

NANAKON: Nothing much. Just normal…

KONAKONA: Did you find a husband?

NANAKON: …

KONAKONA: Do you want to bring out the wiz?

NANAKON: …

NANAKON has gone offline.

Maybe Konata's teasing may have stopped this from becoming the most perfect day for Nanako…

* * *

**Asterisks**

* - Daikichi Akimoto (秋元大吉）

** - Mixi, the Japanese Facebook equivalent

Again, please leave reviews :D


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